I was just at Target picking up 7-Up and saltines for a sick kid, and I saw the $5 DVD displays.  In the past, I’ve looked them over to see if there’s anytrhing good there, but tonight it made me sick to my stomach.  If there had been a good movie there, I think I would have paid the same amount to rent it and avoid having it stay in my home.

I simply love what we do in the church at Christmas.  We remember Jesus’ birth and welcome him into our lives again.  Children and adults alike share their gifts.  People who are very different serve side by side to make sure that thigns go smootghly and everyone receives a warm welcome.  And my family had a great Christmas breakfast together and a wonderful dinner with my parents and my sister’s family.  I even received some stuff I can really use!  But the gift exchange felt out of place to me.  And I’d be happy not to buy anything for a long time.

I am thankful for my family and my life.  I’m grateful that God loves me enough to come into the world for me!  I need to pay the bills, and make sure my kids have what they really need, but it’s a lot less than I sometimes believe.  I’m going to pray to hang onto this perspective.

What has your experience of Christmas been like?  Do you feel the overload?  Or are you looking at it from a completely different perspective?